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Trailering tips for protection Afternoon Gents,
Planing to trailer my Tudor for around 600 miles each way to a tour. I plan to rent a U-Haul flat bed trailer so what I'm wondering is how to protect it while on rout. Cover or no cover? If you have any tips I'd like to read about them and others experiences. Thanks for your advice, Al |
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Here's a picture of how my friend did his. This was probably a 600 mile trip, about 100 of that was on an unpaved mountainous road.
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Re: Trailering tips for protection A tarp flapping about can damage a lot of paint
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Re: Trailering tips for protection 2 days pre-tour driving it and you'll be there.
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Re: Trailering tips for protection Unless your car is concours quality, I dont think I would consider putting a cover on it, and if it was an enclosed trailer would be a must. Like was mentioned, a flapping tarp will damage the paint greatly. Much better off not having anything. There is a product that is a clear wrap that is a paint protector that may work if you are really concerned about debris coming off the tow vehicle. I think I have seen it for sale in the California car cover catalog. Bigger question is how many hoops you will need to jump through with uhaul. I rented a car trailer one time and it darn near took an act of congress to convince the dealer my truck would do the task (f 150).
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We wrapped the glass areas with Stretch Wrap that is used for shipping..U-haul sells it around here.
We also had a neighbor who was good enough to lend us the mud flaps that slip over the hitch. I don't know if either made a difference but the glass and headlights survived just fine over about 300 miles. |
Re: Trailering tips for protection Thank you all for your time and interest in my question.
There is nothing better than listening to those who have experience in what is asked. Al |
Re: Trailering tips for protection Covering a car with a tarp will create more damage than it can prevent. A big no no in my opinion. A flapping tarp will wear thru your paint very quickly.
If at all possible I would drive it which would most probably be only an extra one day on the road in each direction. |
Re: Trailering tips for protection I trailered my Model A from Texas to Florida with a UHaul Trailer. I cut cardboard out to cover the grill, headlights and front window to protect it. Taped it on. I had no problem at all. It is a cheap way to protect it. Hugh
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Re: Trailering tips for protection We towed our '29 Special Coupe from upper Michigan to Delaware, summer-time.. storms, wind etc.. No problems, just check tie-downs and over tire webbing every stop. We backed the car on the trailer, and secured it that way, reasoning was the important stuff, and the visor would be more protected. JMO/kb
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Re: Trailering tips for protection You can get a roll of industrial heat shrink film for about $200 that will do at least six cars. That will keep junk off your car for several trips or you can share it with other guys in your club. This is the stuff that is used to cover boats when they get delivered from the factory to the dealer. When you shrink it, nothing will flap.
Here is one source: uline.com but there are others. |
Re: Trailering tips for protection Quote:
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No substitute for enclosed trailer There is no substitute for an enclosed trailer.
Jim |
Re: Trailering tips for protection If a person uses a tarp, it has to be the real thing. Not one of those cheep plastic things they call a tarp. Real cotton duck material should be used. There are grommet eyelets on them for a reason. The tarp has to fit all the way over front to rear and side to side. good quality bungees would be needed to pull the tarp tight all the way around. Slip stream air should not be able to get underneath the tarp when driving down the road or it will flap. The flapping will damage what ever surface it is flapping on. Covers can be put over the car before the tarp but they must be well secured and soft material that will not mar the finish. Bubble plastic will even mar the surface so that should never be considered. sharp edges should have a protective piece of cardboard taped securely over so it won't rip the tarp.
Over the road truck freight that is too big or heavy for a van body trailer gets tarped up for a long haul every day but they don't scrimp on the way they do it or they will get called out for it. If you can't meet these specs then the car should not be tarped at all or it should be in an enclosed trailer. |
Re: Trailering tips for protection After hooking up the trailer check all the trailer lights, running lights, brake lights, right signal, left signal.
After the first 50 or 100 miles, stop and check everything: tie-downs, hitch, trailer lights. |
Re: Trailering tips for protection I live on a dirt road with several ups and downs. I check my tie-downs when I get to the paved road, about 1/4 mile and often need to tighten them a little.
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Re: Trailering tips for protection Certainly put it on backwards, however you wrap it up....
Now... Since the OP was about the safety of the finish, I guess it may seem a bit off topic, but I have an overall project safety question: Wouldn't it be prudent to drain the gas tank? Practically speaking it's going to be a bit of a pain... However, in a worst-case event, it would have been incredibly important... We all know the drill: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst! Just wanted the group opinion, in general, about the choice of safety-vs-hassel in draining and then refilling the tank for over-the-road projects like this.... FWIW, My tank has always been empty whenever I trailered/towed my A, but that was many years ago, and back in the day, I wouldn't have given it a second thought if it HAD been full... Now, at 75, while I am well aware that age and experience will wear down your risk-takers genes, and that I should reduce as many of my "risk factors" as possible, I still would (almost certainly...) leave it in the tank... So here's the choice: Am I, Prudent??? Or, Paranoid??? If I drain the tank... Lazy???? Or, Logical???? If I leave the gas in tank.... Thanks... JB |
Re: Trailering tips for protection Most of my cowboy customers trailer their helicopters to and from jobs. The flight time is just too valuable to waste for long ferry flights and their customers don't want to pay for that. They have fold down blade holding set ups so they don't have to de-blade.
I've seen at least three incidents over the last 35-years. One was a deer that tried to jump over and it was hit by the helicopter. That one did some minor damage but it could have been worse. The other was a rock kicked up by a passing truck that busted out one of the plexiglass windows. The worst one was a hitch failure that caused the trailer to disconnect. The operator only noticed when the trailer started to pass him as it was leaving the roadway. He watched in horror while the trailer continued off the road, down through a fence and into the side of someones home. It did some damage to the forward main rotor blade on the helicopter but the house was damaged a lot worse. Most of them use goose necks now days with air ride suspensions and all sorts of bells & whistles but none of then can use an enclosed trailer. They don't use tarps either. They have to be able to take off and land back on the trailer so an enclosed set up is out of the question. The front of the goose neck protects the helicopter from nearly all strike damage. |
Re: Trailering tips for protection Engine weight should be towards the front of the trailer, you ever see a trailer wag like the tail on a dog?
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Burner31 gets it! Backing an A on a trailer is asking for trouble. I use a ShurLine hitch weight scale to determine the exact placement of my cars and use a removable stop so that their always in the correct position on the trailer. Too, the motor home pretty much prevents possible damage. The photo was taken as we were leaving Durango heading for Lincoln for the Speedster Reunion. Trailer is an aluminum tilt model and it was really easy to use the A to go out for dinner during the trip. Always reserved pull through sites at the campgrounds.
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